The bodies of a Hindu man, 21, and a Muslim girl, 17, were found hanging from a tree near their village in Bhauri Kala police station area of Muzaffarnagar on Monday morning.

The police said the two were in love and wanted to marry against the wishes of their parents. Bhauri Kala SHO Rajiv Kumar Gupta said they were in a relationship for last five years and the girl was engaged to a man belonging to her community on Friday.

Heavy police force has been deployed fearing communal tension following the incident. Fugana area Circle Officer said even though police did not recover any suicide note, the items recovered from the spot indicate that they committed suicide.

He added that sindoor and mangalsutra were found at the spot and it appeared that they performed wedding rituals before taking the extreme step.

The police said both left their homes after midnight and their bodies were discovered around 5 am. The CO said though there has been no tension yet, security has been beefed up as the village was affected in the 2013 communal riots.